Ohio State
Robert Morris
Buckeyes Triumph over Robert Morris in Home Opener, 10-6 – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 10, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team downed Robert Morris, 10-6, Tuesday evening inside Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The game was the Buckeyes’ home opener and started a three-game homestand, as the squad will host Delaware at noon Sunday and Dartmouth at noon Feb. 21 inside WHAC.
Against Robert Morris, Ohio State led 5-1 at the end of the first quarter and had a three-goal lead (7-4) at halftime. After giving up a score early in the third quarter to make it a two-goal game (7-5), Ohio State shut out the Colonials for the next 22:52, scoring three goals of its own, en route to the 10-6 win.
The team used a solid all-around effort in the win over the Colonials. On the offensive side, junior Ryan Hunter had a hat trick and senior Jesse King had four points with a goal and three assists, while freshman Colin Chell scored twice and senior captains Rick Lewis and David Planning each had three-point nights with a goal and two assists. Senior Christopher May won 15-of-20 faceoffs and had a game-high 11 groundballs. In the cage, Tom Carey made eight saves. The defense limited the Colonials to just 26 shots and six goals, and the Buckeyes had the advantage in groundballs, 35-17.
“We took a step in the right direction tonight,” Nick Myers, Ohio State head coach, said. “I’m proud of the way our men responded coming off a loss Saturday. We will build off of this and get right back to work preparing for our next challenge.”
Ohio State scored the first five goals of the game and led 5-1 at the end of the first quarter. Hunter opened the scoring at 13:37, assisted by Planning, and Chell scored his first goal for the Scarlet and Gray unassisted at 11:53. Just 53 seconds later King scored for a 3-0 Buckeye lead. At 6:50 Hunter tallied off an assist from King, drawing a penalty on the play, and 40 seconds later the Buckeyes converted the extra man chance when Brown scored, assisted by Lewis. The Colonials stopped Ohio State’s run with a goal at 3:33. Shots were 9-7 in favor of Ohio State in the quarter and each team’s goalie made three saves.
The Buckeyes scored the first two goals of the second quarter to extend the lead to 7-1. King set up Hunter just 18 seconds into the stanza, followed by a goal from Chell, off an assist from senior Turner Evans, at 9:22. Robert Morris scored the last three goals of the quarter to send the teams into the lockerroom with Ohio State ahead, 7-4. The RMU goals came at 8:05, 3:02 and 2:43. The teams combined for 11 shots in the quarter, with Ohio State attempting five. Each goalie had two stops.
RMU scored its fourth-consecutive goal at 13:16 of the third quarter to draw within two (7-5). Ohio State shut out the Colonials for the rest of the quarter, scoring twice, for a 9-5 advantage through 45 minutes. Lewis set up Planning for a man-up goal at 9:02 before King found sophomore JT Blubaugh at 1:57 of the quarter. The Buckeyes outshot the Colonials, 11-5, in the quarter and Carey made two saves for Ohio State.
Each team scored once in the fourth quarter for the 10-6 final. Lewis scored a man-up goal of his own at 11:12, assisted by Planning, and RMU’s Luke Laszkiewicz scored at 5:23. Robert Morris attempted eight shots, with Ohio State taking seven. RMU’s goalie made three saves in the quarter.
For the game, the Buckeyes outshot Robert Morris, 32-26. Carey played all 60 minutes for the second game in a row and had eight saves. RMU’s Chase Rose had nine stops in 60 minutes.
Ohio State won the groundball battle, 35-17, led by May with 11. May took all 20 faceoffs for Ohio State, winning 15 (75 percent). The reigning Big Ten Specialist of the Week has won 78 percent of his faceoffs through the first two games (32-of-41).
The Buckeyes had seven caused turnovers, led by senior Evan Mulchrone and junior Robby Haus with two each.
In the win, Ohio State converted 3-of-4 extra man opportunities and stopped Robert Morris on one chance.
Planning lead the Buckeyes with seven points (3g, 4a), with King, who extended his point streak to 38 games, second with six points. Hunter is first on the squad with five goals this season. The three points and two assists marked a career high for Lewis.
